Outdoor brooders

[Beekissed]

I've used both methods in an outside brooder situation and the only downside I could find on the HP brooder setup was it doesn't come back on if the electric goes off but a heat lamp will, so if you get a blip in the middle of the night where the power goes off and right back on again, the lamp is fine but the HP is not. Though, now I understand they have the HPs that will resume working when the power comes back on.

Observations between heat lamp and HP in outside, more chilly brooders than one will have when brooding indoors:

Heating pad~

1. The chicks get better sleep at night...lights are out, chicks asleep under the pad. It already helps them get into a natural sleep cycle as if they were being brooded by a hen.
2. Consequently, they seem more active overall in the day time and seem to stay out of the warm area longer, fledging out quicker as a result, adapting more quickly to moving to the coop at large.
3. Haven't seen a single pasty butt under the HP, as the chick can self regulate their exposure to heat and how much of it. Most people who brood with a heat lamp have it in such small brooders that the heat is everywhere...there's no real escape from the light and the heat and soon pasty butt can make a visit.
4. If feeding a wet ration, it doesn't get baked by the lamp and form a crust they cannot easily eat through. On the other hand, if it's really cold out there, the feed stays pretty chilly....under a heat lamp at least the wet feed stays warmed.
5. Even if the pad goes off due to electric outage, they have a place to huddle and conserve their own body heat with one another...if a heat lamp goes off, the chicks will huddle but it won't be as effective and they can often smother one another as they try to shift to the middle of the pile.
6. Bedding touching the heat source is not a problem...even moisture on the HP is not a problem, as they are designed to use with moist hot packs on humans and the pads are even washable, so designed for mishaps with water.
7. Is easily adjustable with a touch of a button, no raising it or lowering it to try and get the heat comfortable for the chicks as outside temps change and the chicks age.

​

Heat Lamp~

1. If brooding large quantities of chicks in a larger brooder, it can handle the job better and is the cheaper method.
2. When used with common sense, most people never have a problem with heat lamps....problem is, common sense is growing increasingly in short supply, especially among the new generation of flock owners.
3. Provides light and keeps all chicks immediately visible at all times for quick inspections.
4. Cheaper than a HP.
5. Will keep water source from freezing when brooding outside in cold temps....HP cannot do that unless you are using an additional one to wrap your waterer.
6. More effective when brooding in extremely cold temps, whereas the chicks under the HP in extreme cold temps will be less able to access feed and water if huddling under the HP. I've brooded outside with the HP in temps in the 30s but I most likely wouldn't attempt it in single digits and below zero.
7. Less cleanup at the end of the heat source, but pretty important to keep dust from sticking around on that bulb during the brood.

That's all I can think of right now but if anyone else has anything to add to these two lists, feel free to do so.

 

[Beekissed]

In February I have 20 chicks coming. In the past I've had the brooder indoors but learned how dusty that gets everything so I don't want it in the house this time. I'm thinking of building a brooder outside and running power to a heat lamp hanging into the brooder.

If I buy the sheets of insulation at Lowe's and line the walls with it, do you think that would be sufficient to contain heat generated from the lamp so we don't lose any?

It should be fine. If you've got a coop large enough to brood right in the coop, you can always construct a quick and well insulated brooder with use of hay bales. That's what I use nowadays for brooding chicks outdoors....it's cheap, easy to throw together and take apart, easy to enlarge or decrease as needed, easy to transition them into the coop at large and/or integrate with the flock. I've even used a heat lamp with a haybale brooder without any concerns but I'd recommend exercising great caution if doing so. Just have to have that light secured in two ways, just in case one of the ways should fail. Also handy to have your electric source plugged into a power strip with surge control.

 

[Blooie]

I've used both methods in an outside brooder situation and the only downside I could find on the HP brooder setup was it doesn't come back on if the electric goes off but a heat lamp will, so if you get a blip in the middle of the night where the power goes off and right back on again, the lamp is fine but the HP is not. Though, now I understand they have the HPs that will resume working when the power comes back on.

Observations between heat lamp and HP in outside, more chilly brooders than one will have when brooding indoors:

Heating pad~

1. The chicks get better sleep at night...lights are out, chicks asleep under the pad. It already helps them get into a natural sleep cycle as if they were being brooded by a hen.
2. Consequently, they seem more active overall in the day time and seem to stay out of the warm area longer, fledging out quicker as a result, adapting more quickly to moving to the coop at large.
3. Haven't seen a single pasty butt under the HP, as the chick can self regulate their exposure to heat and how much of it. Most people who brood with a heat lamp have it in such small brooders that the heat is everywhere...there's no real escape from the light and the heat and soon pasty butt can make a visit.
4. If feeding a wet ration, it doesn't get baked by the lamp and form a crust they cannot easily eat through. On the other hand, if it's really cold out there, the feed stays pretty chilly....under a heat lamp at least the wet feed stays warmed.
5. Even if the pad goes off due to electric outage, they have a place to huddle and conserve their own body heat with one another...if a heat lamp goes off, the chicks will huddle but it won't be as effective and they can often smother one another as they try to shift to the middle of the pile.
6. Bedding touching the heat source is not a problem...even moisture on the HP is not a problem, as they are designed to use with moist hot packs on humans and the pads are even washable, so designed for mishaps with water.
7. Is easily adjustable with a touch of a button, no raising it or lowering it to try and get the heat comfortable for the chicks as outside temps change and the chicks age.

​

Heat Lamp~

1. If brooding large quantities of chicks in a larger brooder, it can handle the job better and is the cheaper method.
2. When used with common sense, most people never have a problem with heat lamps....problem is, common sense is growing increasingly in short supply, especially among the new generation of flock owners.
3. Provides light and keeps all chicks immediately visible at all times for quick inspections.
4. Cheaper than a HP.
5. Will keep water source from freezing when brooding outside in cold temps....HP cannot do that unless you are using an additional one to wrap your waterer.
6. More effective when brooding in extremely cold temps, whereas the chicks under the HP in extreme cold temps will be less able to access feed and water if huddling under the HP. I've brooded outside with the HP in temps in the 30s but I most likely wouldn't attempt it in single digits and below zero.
7. Less cleanup at the end of the heat source, but pretty important to keep dust from sticking around on that bulb during the brood.

That's all I can think of right now but if anyone else has anything to add to these two lists, feel free to do so.

Yup. I was focusing more on the safety aspect but

yup!

 

[amorosini]

I am getting my first dozen chicks in a few weeks. Brooder getting set up with premier plate. I love the heating pad mama tent set up also. My question is if you aren't using a heating lamp how do you keep the chicks water from freezing? Our brooder will be in the garage since my coop is literally buried in snow. I have read the forums on once they are in the coop but in a small space the water containers won't be large. I'm in north idaho and it's been a snowy cold winter.

 

[Beekissed]

I am getting my first dozen chicks in a few weeks. Brooder getting set up with premier plate. I love the heating pad mama tent set up also. My question is if you aren't using a heating lamp how do you keep the chicks water from freezing? Our brooder will be in the garage since my coop is literally buried in snow. I have read the forums on once they are in the coop but in a small space the water containers won't be large. I'm in north idaho and it's been a snowy cold winter.

If you are using the plate brooder they sell little nipple waterers that sit right on top~the nipple hangs over the edge~ of that plate, which should keep the water from freezing. They sell the same style nipple waterer at Rural King.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I am getting my first dozen chicks in a few weeks. Brooder getting set up with premier plate. I love the heating pad mama tent set up also. My question is if you aren't using a heating lamp how do you keep the chicks water from freezing? Our brooder will be in the garage since my coop is literally buried in snow. I have read the forums on once they are in the coop but in a small space the water containers won't be large. I'm in north idaho and it's been a snowy cold winter.

If you are using the plate brooder they sell little nipple waterers that sit right on top~the nipple hangs over the edge~ of that plate, which should keep the water from freezing. They sell the same style nipple waterer at Rural King.

Nice post Bee with a nice photo. Easy to understand and it look like a good solution. I haven’t used a nipple waterer. Amorosini is getting a dozen chicks. How many nipple waterers are needed? Amorosini, they will try to perch on top of that. You might want to hang something over it to keep them from being able to land on top. Some people use bleach containers or gallon milk jugs, filling them with sand if they are where the wind blows to keep them over the top of the waterer.

 

[Beekissed]

For no more than 12 chicks that one nipple waterer should do the trick. They will often drink from the same nipple at the same time. You can sprinkle some bedding on top of that plate each time you do out and then brush it off again, along with any poop, the next time you change out the bedding there. The heat from the plate or HP usually dries up those little poops in no time, making them easy to brush off.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hanging something on top is also to help stop them from knocking it over when they fly up to perch, especially when it is near empty. With that square design it should be fairly stable, at least until they get bigger.